Stand With Me
by WhenPigsFly2018
Summary: Gordie's cousin comes to live with him after her parents kill each other in a drunken rage. She's scarred mentally, but then, so is the rest of the gang. She joins the expedition to find Ray Brower, but will her haunting memories hold them back from fame? Or maybe it's a good thing they're slowed down... And will her past decide to let her live her life, or will she never recover?
1. Prolouge

**Stand With Me…**

Those eight words changed our lives forever….

It was a normal summer day, when our not-so-normal troupe went to find the dead body of Ray Brower.

None of us had ever seen one, well, except for me.

I had walked in on my parents stabbing each other in the stomachs almost a year ago.

I had no other family but the Lanchance's. I went to live with them that summer, and Gordie, my only living cousin, took me with him to meet his friends.

Chris Chambers.

Teddie Duchamp.

Vern Tessio.

They turned out to be the best friends I've ever had.

* * *

 **Hello! I know this is lame, but I wanted to get this out before I forgot about my idea's...  
I feel like this is the best I could do seeing as I've been exhausted as hell recently. I'm also working on the next chapter of MPMCAC**

 **Magic**

 **Pearls**

 **Mythical**

 **Creatures**

 **and a**

 **Corgi**

 **I have big plans for both this and MPMCAC, so, make sure to review, because I have a thing going with this.  
Rule #1: (not much of a rule...)For every review I got, Imma add 400 words to the next chapter**

 **Rule #2: If no one reviews, I will stop with this, and depending on how many reviews I get on MPMCAC, I may quit with that too**

 **that's about it...**

 **~ A.**


	2. Chapter 1: Unforgotten Memories

_"You worthless piece of crap, do you really think anyone actually cares what you say?"_

 _"If you tell them I'll kill you"_

 _"Just shut up and take it like a man"_

 _"How can such a weak piece of garbage make such noise, shut your crap hole before I tape it shut"_

 _"How could you accuse the man who has helped our family so much of such a thing?! Your father will be hearing about this."_

 _"You lying, conniving, stealing, filthy little bitch. Never say that again, if you do I'll kill you. I outta kill you right now..."_

 _The beatings never stopped... Throughout my whole childhood, all I remember is pain... Hiding the cuts and bruises from the teachers, not that they cared much. If it wasn't my parents, it was my mother's "friend". I was smart enough to know that when my mom left to go to "Women's Club" she was spending the night with Micheal Nickolich. And Micheal Nickolich forced me to spend a few hours of pure torture and agony at his house every Saturday. Disguising it as "Tutor Mike Time". I've never hated someone as much as I hated him. Didn't he get enough with my mom the pimp? Or did he just like seeing my face contort with shear agony, and my legs writhe in pain? My throat go raw from screaming?_

My body jerked into a sitting position as I awoke suddenly, dripping in sweat, I haven't had that dream since my parent killed each other...

Its hard to forget, but I had managed to just fine. Until now. "Rave, we gotta get to the tree house. I wanna introduce you to the guys!" Ah, Gordon Lachance. My only living cousin, how nice. He's taking me to meet his gang. I am NOT looking forward to this. "Ok ok, I'm coming, just let me shower!" I yelled at him through the door of the guest room. "TMI Rave, I didn't need to know that." Wow... "You didn't have to imagine that, go away you perv!" Why are these sheets floral print? Doesn't my aunt know I'm not girly? Whatever, I'll ask if a she can change them later. Right now I have priorities.

* * *

What's taking her so long? I did hear her screaming, but the door was locked, so all I could do was scream back through the oak door. Raven. I haven't seen her since... well, since ever. We were just baby's when her dad lost their house and had to move to Chicago. Must be rough having to live in the hood your whole life... Finally my last cousin stepped out of her room, with her long, thick RAVEN hair hanging lose to the middle of her back. Her flow-y hair contrasted greatly with her deep sapphire eyes. "Finally, I was beginning to think you had drowned. Oh, and you should tie that up" I advised her, being the great guy I am, "the guys seem to have a thing with pulling girls hair..." My thoughts drifted back to mid-December, when Teddie pulled a whole braid off of Jenny Climber's head. There was blood all over, it was wicked cool, but at the same time we all felt bad afterwards... "Ok, I can do that." She responded, snapping me out of my visual recollection of past events. My head snapped in her general direction as she pulled her hair into a tight bun on the back of her head. "Ya think this'll be ok?" Her soft voice called out as she walked past me, out the door and onto the sidewalk. "Are we goin' or not, cuz I still have some unpacking to do!" Geez, she doesn't like to wait, does she? "Uh, yeah, but you don't know the way, so let me lead." The look of utter annoyance on her face was something I've gotten relatively used to, even though she only first came three days ago. "Your a real dipshit, ya know that? And thank you for stating the obvious. I just got here, of course I don't know the way." The sarcasm was literally dripping from her voice as she spoke. "Ok, then let's go." I responded simply as I started for me and my friends usual meeting place.

* * *

 **Hey guys! This is a bit... darker... than what I usually write... sorry if anyone was offended in any way. Hope you liked it!**

 **Thank you El for reviewing, over 700 words, just for you! *Insert smiley face here***

 **Agian, I'll state the policy I have for this fiction,**

 **For every review I get, I'll add 400 words to the next chapter, along with whatever I was going to write originally.**

 **See you next chapter!**

 **~ A.**


	3. Chapter 2: Thinking Back

_"Maybe if you weren't such a disappointment, your family would actually pay attention to you"_

 _"Why waste everyone's time, just quit life already"_

 _"You really think anyone actually likes you?"_

"Hey! Earth to Birdgirl! You there?" An intrusive voice freed me from my trance, I snapped my head towards it. Teddie. Of course. He was always distracting me. Not that I'm complaining. "What dipshit, you trying to get me to come to your house again? If you are, you're wasting your time." He never seemed to get used to my snappy responses, even though I've been hanging out with Gordie and his friends for over a month now. "Yo Rave, no need to be mean. Oh, I've been meaning to ask you, you got a twin sister named Wren I could go out with on Friday?" The whole treehouse shook as the guys all exploded with laughter at Chris' douche remark. Well, all except Teddie. He screached. "Go piss up a rope, you man whore." I didn't even realize I had accidentally called him a man. "Ohhhh, guys, hear that, she lost!"

* * *

Chris:

I cannot believe she set herself up for that... see, we have this sorta competition. If I call her a woman I lose, but if she calls me a man, she loses. If she does it first, she has to kiss me, with tongue(Teddie's idea), but if I lose first, I have to pay her 20 whole dollar's... If I did have to pay her that kinda cash, I woulda killed Gordo on the spot. It was his idea, he was trying to make sure his only cousin wasn't cheated I guess... But either way, Raven owed me a kiss. She wasn't plain in any way, fuck, she was one of the prettiest girls I've ever seen... It only added to the fact that she had already hit puberty. Unlike any of us loser dudes, but we still knew when a girl was hot, and Rave sure was... "Dude, what are you staring at?" Crap. Was I staring? "Just anticipating the moment our tongues will be battling." Her face twisted in half mock half genuine horror. Good, I'd distracted her from the staring issue... "And with how much you talk, I bet it'd be a good fight..."

* * *

Oh my god. How could he look at me the way he was looking, then say something so perverted... boys, I'll never understand them... "Ok, guys, quit it, you're making me lose my appetite." Before I could answer Vern's remark about something that was seemingly impossible, Gordie cut me off. "Hey, Vern's right, and Raven, we gotta get home for dinner." Ugh. Home. Don't get me wrong, I love my aunt and uncle, but I did miss Denny, he used to come and visit me once every summer. And his parents were... distant... I'm not judging, I was too, after my parents died. They were even more so... like ghosts... I couldn't stand it. "Do we really, I bet your mom wouldn't even notice..." Oh shit, wrong thing to say... Gordie looked at me with this unexplainable, intense look, and it was so sad... Then shot out the trap door as fast as he could. He looked like he was gonna cry... "Gordie wait! That's not what I meant-" I chased after him as I called out, but just as I caught up to him he whipped around and threw his skinny arms around me, pulling me into a warm, sad embrace. "Yeah you did, don't lie to me... I'm not mad, I promise. What you said is true, my mom wouldn't notice... But my dad would. He looks for opportunities to make me feel bad..." He gushed, while taking several deep breathes into my silky hair. "Gordie... I... I really didn't mean to make you feel bad... it's just... I was lonely enough at the three foster homes I had... and the silence is... deafening... if you get what I mean..." I struggled to put my thoughts to words, as I usually do when it comes to anything sentimental. I pulled away from him and looked up at him. He still looked sad, but not nearly as bad as before. "I know... Let's just go. We can come back later. I'll make sure of it." What did I ever do to deserve someone so caring and gentle? I can barely remember the last time anyone went out of their way to make me happy... It feels so weird... Being loved...

* * *

Gordie:

When I promised her we'd meet up with the guys after dinner, the look she gave me was... I don't even know how to describe it... The only look I can really compare it to is when Denny gave me his lucky cap... And not many occasions can be ranked anywhere near that one... "Ok... But don't get us in trouble, meat-for-brains!" Wait, what? As she yelled a half insult, she ran away from me, towards our house. "You comin'? I don't wanna face your dad alone!" That last statement got my attention. My dad had some sort of hatred for Raven, I have no idea why... Maybe he blamed her for his brother's death? But that's still unreasonable, because she was only a few months old when her family moved to an apartment in Chicago. I'm a few weeks older than her. But anyways, it wasn't her fault my uncle lost all his money gambling. Then when they left Castle Rock, he got a good job, then lost it. He started drinking, and after that, I never heard anything else from Uncle Ned and Aunt June... Until the funeral... I didn't even see her there... She was in court for some reason... She doesn't talk about it...

* * *

 **Hey guys! Yes, another chapter! Thank you El and CosmicTheUnicorn for reviewing! In return for your short messages, here's 1,003 words! Told you more back story would come around! I feel so proud of myself for some reason... And Cosmic, to answer your question, I like fanfictions, in general, that are somewhat original. When I write a fan fiction, I see it as an opportunity to change things in the story, like with Stand By Me, I don't like the fictions that copy the movie almost exactly. I like fictions that take the original movie, or book, or whatever, and mold it, make it seperate from any other fan fiction out there.**

 **Just my opinion.**

 **Love y'all, see you next time!**

 **~ A.**


	4. Chapter 3: A Deal's A Deal

"Truth or Dare, Birdy, go."

"Ugh... Dare, I guess." We were in Vern's back field, playing True or Dare. Personally my favorite game, yet my own personal hell at the same time. "Oooh, I got a good one... Lachance, you gotta give Chambers his kiss. Now."

Crap.

By now, everyone knew that I could rarely reject a dare.

"You're a real asshole Duchamp, you know that?" His grin only grew. "Fine. But what do I get in return?" Chris' eyes went wide in mock shock. "Crow, you wound me. Isn't kissing me enough of a reward as it is?" I pretended to mull this over. "Well... No. Not really. And you guys know that because other wise you wouldn't have bet it." Now it was Teddie's turn to feign shock. "Wow. Chris, you got yourself a smart one here. Don't loose her, cuz I'll take her!" There he goes again with his hyena laugh. Gordie was about to step in when I spoke up. "Alright alright. If you're sooo desperate for this damn kiss, then get over here Chambers." He didn't even flinch and shook his head. "Not a chance Lachance. You're sitting right here." He said in a commanding tone while pointing at his lap. Fuck. This guys more perverted than I originally thought. "Hey Raven, you don't gotta do it." I was crawling across the small space in between all off us, past our camp fire when Gordie grabbed my arm and whispered that in my ear. "Naw Gord, a deals a deal. I gotta kiss him, might as well do it now."

* * *

Chris:

I honestly couldn't believe that she would actually go through with this, I figured she would push me away at the last second, but nope. She kissed long. Long and hard.

When she got to me she straddled me, and placed her hands on my shoulders, without even batting an eye. I was really close to blushing, I could feel my ears heating up.

"Close your eyes."

"Why..."

"Cause otherwise I won't be able to focus."

I didn't want to take my icy blue eyes off of her deep, lurking ones. Suddenly all this, the kiss, started to feel a bit dangerous.

"Fine. I'll close them. Just tell me when to expect it."

As I closed my eyes she wasted no time.

"Now."

Then her soft pink lips were on mine. Slowly maneuvering my mouth open. As soon as she thought she had her opening, I decided to make this hard for her. I plunged my tongue into her mouth earnestly. But not too much that she would get any ideas.

"Jackass" She mumbled against my lips. Damn, she was a hell of a good kisser. Where'd she learn how to do all this? Her lips were firm, but soft. I never really payed attention to mine, so I wondered how she liked the pair.

"Ok, I think that's good enough to pay my debts. Right?" Hell, she shouldn't have added that question... "Maybe. Check with me tomorrow. Dunno what I'll say..." Once she got off my legs I took a good look at her. Like, real good. She looked a bit flustered by the fire light. I was distracted from my mental study by Teddie. "Ok, you kissed, now tell. What was she like?" He was literally bouncing up and down. "Uh... Hard to explain. Make her kiss you, then you'll know." His face fell at exactly the same time as hers did. "You know what, you guys are sick. I'm going home. And don't follow me." That last sentence was aimed directly at Gordie. He has been a bit clingy. Trying to make sure she's settled nicely. "Gordie, seriously, don't follow her. She just needs some space." I reasoned with him when he jumped up to chase her. "No Chris, you don't understand. She tried to kill herself."

* * *

 **DUN DUN DUN!**

 **Sorry for the cliffy, it's 11:22 pm right now, and I need to catch up on my Z's.**

 **Remember about the review thing? Keep reviewing to read more!**

 **Thanks El for another review. It's nice to know someone keeps coming back for more!**

 **Love y'all,**

 **~ A.**


	5. Chapter 4: Maybe, But I Don't Know

_"No Chris, you don't understand. She tried to kill herself"_

I snickered to myself. Let them think that's what happened. Makes my life easier.

 _"Ah. There you are. Long time no see Raven." Seeing my personal demon made me backpedal hard into the wall. "Still scared as ever I see. But don't worry. I only came to do one thing._

 _Swish._

 _The sound of a switchblade opening filled my ears, and I squeezed my eyes shut and accepted my fate. If I fought, it would only take longer, and be more painful._

 _He grabbed my arms and viciously sliced my wrists, where the veins where. They split open with a morbid "splice". I screamed from the pain, but he wasn't finished._

 _"Just enough to make you slowly bleed out."_

 _He narrated for me as he lolled my head back, and just when he put the blade to my neck, I heard the front door slam._

 _"Fuck"_

 _He musta heard it too, because he shoved the switchblade into my shaking hands and hissed, "Suicide. That's what you tell them. Got it!" I only dropped my head in response and let the knife gather more blood from the puddle on the floor. "Good girl." He purred and slipped out my bedroom window, the same way he came._

"Why the hell'd she do that for?" I heard Chris' angry shout, and I knew, I would have trouble with him. He was the kinda person who found out the truth. Like a lawyer. "She was having a bad time at the foster home she was in. Couldn't handle it I guess." For reason, Vern and Teddie were uncharacteristically quiet. I ignored the sound of running footsteps behind me and kept walking home. "You tried to fucking kill yourself." To be honest, I had the sudden impulse to spill. "Yeah. Got a problem with that?" I barely got to finish my sentence and his rough hands were on my shoulders, spinning me to face him. "Yeah I do. I got a big problem. Mainly cuz I don't believe it." Damn, how is it that everyone else swallows my lies, and moves on, but the one kid I can't stand has gotta be the one who sees past them. "Well, that's your problem. Not mine." I looked away from his piercing ice blue eyes, but he grabbed my chin firmly and forced me to look at him.

"Look me straight in the eyes, and tell me you tried to commit suicide."

Maybe it was the hardness of his eyes,

Maybe it was the word "suicide",

Maybe I couldn't handle lying anymore.

I don't know. What I do know, is that on a warm June night, I spilled my life story to a kid I thought I hated.

* * *

 **Oooh... Another cliffy...**

 **(TT) lol. I wanna get the whole life story in one chapter, so... SORRY!**

 **I just wanna say, if you guys don't review, well...**

 **I don't give a crap. I'm gonna continue this story because Chris, Gordie, Vern, and Teddie don't deserve to be dropped like that. They are great characters, and if I quit, they, once again, would be left hanging.**

 **I don't wanna do that.**

 **But still, I appreciate any reviews that come in, whether or not they're good ones.**

 **Love y'all,**

 **~ A.**


	6. Chapter 5: You Talk, I'll Listen

_Maybe it was the hardness of his eyes,_

 _Maybe it was the word "suicide"_

 _Maybe I couldn't handle lying anymore,_

 _I don't know. All I know is on a warm June night, I spilled my life story to the kid I though I hated._

 _"Look me straight in the eyes and tell me you tried to kill yourself."_

 _I couldn't... I'd said all the right things before, lying was a second nature to me. And I did it well. There was the rare occasion that someone could see past my shell, and this was one of them._

 _"I... I... Didn't."_

It was obvious he was proud of himself. "I didn't. He tried... Not me... He told me..." I couldn't get a whole sentence out, I was sobbing, and I wanted more than just his hands on my small shoulders. He seemed to sense this because he pulled me into his chest, while rubbing my back in large, soothing circles.

"Shh... It's ok... Talk to me Raven. Tell me. You'll feel better." I knew he was right, in a way.

"Ok. But not here." We were standing in the middle of the dirt road that lead to Vern's back field, me shaking in his arms. "You got a point..." I had to giggle a bit, just a bit. "The treehouse is closer than our houses, and I get the feeling you'd rather avoid both places, right?" He caught on to things _very_ quickly. "Um, yes, I would rather go to the treehouse..."

I had only just said it when Gordie just couldn't stay back anymore. "What's going on?" I desperately tried to silently tell Chris that I didn't want to talk to Gordie about it. He had been in the dark so long, I wasn't sure how he would react. The only certainty was anger. Thankfully, I didn't have to worry. "Uh, Gordie... There are some things Raven needs to get of her chest..." Somehow, that one statement, I don't know... Gordie know what he was saying almost immediately. "Oh. Ok. Raven, don't go home by yourself. Ok?" Gordie's father, my uncle, had an unexplainable hatred for me. Sometimes he acted like he was gonna kill me. It scared me. "Ya don't gotta tell me twice." I tried to smile through my tears, but it was half-hearted. "I'll see you later..."

* * *

Chris:

I knew it. I knew she wouldn't try that. She cared too much about her family, and she was already out her last foster home by the time Denny died. I knew because

1\. Gordie told me, and

2\. I vaguely remember seeing her there.

I only got a glimpse, but I wouldn't forget her face. By the time we got to the tree house, she was shaking, but not from crying. She was pale as a ghost, and her lips were blue. It was strange, because it was a warm night. "Hey. Are you ok? You seem cold." She looked over at me incredulously, I was wearing my dirty white t-shirt and stained jeans. "How are you not? It's freezing out here!" I stared at her in shock. "Freezing?! It's like 78° out!" She sighed, and shook her head. "I'm grew up in 99° plus, and a broken air conditioner. It got higher than 109° at my house at night. I'm not used to the climate here." That explains it. "Ok. Uh, there are some blankets inside, you can use those. And when you get warm, you're gonna tell me why you've been lying."

* * *

Ugh. Why couldn't he just drop it? Fine then. It won't be easy...

After I got settled into the covers on the bench/couch, he put a chair firmly on the floor of the house, directly across from me.

"You talk. I'll listen. We got our jobs straight?" He had that same hardness in his troubled eyes, but this time they had a softer edge to them. "Yeah... But we may end up being here a long time..." I cautioned. He only shrugged. Well, here goes...

"It started before I was born. My dad got involved with some kind of loan shark, and the only way he could pay off his debts was by gambling. He did good. At first. Then he lost 200 grand on a game of Blackjack. He couldn't make anymore payments, including taxes, or the mortgage. So, we moved. I was somewhere around three months old. We had to go to Chicago. He rented a small, one bedroom apartment, 'cause it was all he could afford. He had some experience as a plumber, among other things. He landed himself a job with one of the biggest plumbing services in the city. He got at least twenty clients a week. It played well too. Soon, we had a two bedroom house. But it was in the slums. And it was falling apart. On weekends he would repair it. He built it back into a nice place, the nicest on the block. Well, while my dad was working his ass off, my mom got a job as a waitress. Things were going good. I was in school, my dad got a raise, my mom made her own money. We were a family. But one of my dad's coworkers was jealous. He sabotaged one of my fathers clients. Got him fired. After that, word was spread around that my dad was a lousy worker. He couldn't get a new one. We sank back into debt. I had been going to an advanced school, but I had to be pulled out because the tuition was too much. My mom worked late shifts, but it wasn't nearly enough. My dad got depressed. He started drinking. Soon my mom did too. After awhile, money started to pour in. Me and my dad had no idea where she was getting it from. When my dad did find out, he beat her. She became a... "Paid Broad"... But the thing is, she liked it... She felt neglected by my dad, and by... You know, doing that, she paid the bills and "got some" at the same time. She kept at it, even though my dad beat her every night. I could kinda see both sides, but being a little kid, only 5, I didn't know who was right or wrong. Eventually my dad realized that without my mother's "side job" we wouldn't be able to eat every day. So he laid off on the beatings, at least a little. One night, she came home especially late, and they got into an argument. He lost it, and started pounding on her. Over and over. For hours, her agonized screams poured from the tiny kitchen. After awhile, I couldn't stand it. At this point, I was almost seven. I still don't know why I tried to step in. I shoulda called the cops. But I was only a dumb little kid. I ran in, screeching like a banshee, and flew at my dad, who was straddling my mother, the woman who gave birth to me, and beating her face in. She had blood all over her face. I swear to God, I thought he was gonna kill her. So I flew at him, and started scratching and clawing anywhere I could. He barely acknowledged me at first, but I had pretty long nails, and I got his eyeball. He yelled, and I don't even know what happened, all I remember is the sound of bone crunching, and then I was on the floor, clutching my ribs. I can't even tell if he pounced or kicked me. All I could think about was the 5 shattered ribs I had. Then when he started walking towards me, I thought he was gonna continue, that I was gonna suffer. But he picked me up gently and took me to the hospital." I sort of forgot where I was, so when I looked up from the floor and saw Chris looking at me with worried eyes, I jumped. "You ok?" I realized I was shaking. I didn't even know I still remembered that first time. I had done a pretty good job of repressing that particular memory. "Yeah, I'm good." He didn't seem convinced. "I'll continue."

"So when we got back, my mom was there, bandaged up, no blood anywhere. No trace of the torture she'd gone through except for the physical marks. I remember her sitting on the couch, and when she saw me, she just stretched her arms open to me, inviting me. I ran to her, so relieved that she had actually made it through the night. It was one of those moments, that you don't need words. Actually, one of those times that if you say absolutely anything, you mess it up. She told me to never do that again. To never try to help her when my dad exploded. I hated myself for it, but I agreed. So many times after that, I stood helpless as he slowly beat the life out of her. Not that she was completely innocent." This was the hardest part...

"That summer, my childhood ended. It was the summer the man I thought I knew, dissipated and became a total monster. The summer I was no longer ignorant of... sexual activities... The summer I became a walking coffin.

Right after I turned seven, my mom took me to see a friend of hers. She told me to do _everything_ he told me to. Told me not to be scared. Told me she would be back soon. I had no idea the plans he had. Micheal Nickolich, "Tutor Mike". Of course, the only tutoring I got was in the _advanced_ course of the male anatomy. I was sent to his house every Saturday. Sometimes my mom said that my dad was out trying to get a job, so he had to babysit. I hated him. He made my life a living hell. Notice that I'm bigger in the bust than any other girl my age? It's because when the reproductive organs are in use early in life, the hormones that are supposed to start dispersing throughout the body during the teenage years, well, they do so early. In my case, years early. I denied that my mom knew about it. I couldn't imagine that she would knowingly put me through that. But she did. And she was getting paid to. When I figured it out, and accepted it, I decided that I would tell her, see her reaction. She exploded. She took me to my father, who through all this, had been giving me merciless hidings, all summer long. When she turned me over to him, he had no idea that what I was saying was true. When he was done, my left arm and wrist were broken, and several ribs shattered. I had more than a few new scars to hide, to go along with the other twelve-thousand. Then my mom confessed. But it was more like an evil villain telling the poor, almost dead hero, that it was them the entire time. With an evil laugh and every thing. My dad looked at me. He sent me to my room, and then, for the first time, my mom fought back. I was 10. She fought hard, harder than any boxer, or professional fighter. I tried to stay hidden, I really did. But when I heard my dad scream, I couldn't anymore. Just as I crawled into the kitchen, where the fights usually happened, my dad plunged his steak knife all the way into my mothers abdomen. I was about to be sick when my dad turned around, and I saw a similar knife sticking out of his stomach. She'd stabbed him first. His last words, where the most heart-felt I'd ever heard from him."

"I'm sorry Raven. For every thing. Especially for hurting you.

I

Love

You."

At this point, I broke. I hadn't thought about those last moments with my parents in so long. No one had been able to get any other information from me about it except that she stabbed first. I sobbed, harder than the first moments that I realized that they were both dead. Harder than when I realized what Nickolich was doing to me. Harder than when he came and tried to finish what he had started.

Harder than ever before in my life.

"Raven, I'm sorry... I don't know how bad it was... If I did, I wouldn't have pressured you..." I laughed aloud at the irony. He, was sorry. "What the hell did you do? You listened longer than anyone ever! How _could_ you know? And if you did, I woulda beat you to death for not helping me!" I knew I was talking like a nut case, but at this point, why would I care? "You should get some sleep. It's 3:57 AM, kinda late, don't ya think?" He made me laugh. "Your worried about me sleeping? I haven't slept 4 hours in the past two days." Which was probably the reason why my eyes were starting to blur and fade...

"Goodnight, Crow..."

* * *

 **Hey guys! I wanna thank both CosmicTheUnicorn, and El, for being faithful readers, and for reviewing! This is actually the longest AND darkest chapter I've ever written. I cannot believe that the story is over 2,000 words! My readers mean the world to me, so if you have any suggestions, or complaints, just let me know, either in PM or in a review!**

 **Love y'all, and remember, if you ever have problems, talk to someone. Don't bottle it up.**

(:

 **~ A.**


	7. Chapter 6: Oh, The Irony

I woke up that morning with a splitting headache and sore, probably bloodshot eyes. I could hear someone moving around, and the smell of fresh pancakes, eggs, and sausages. I rubbed the last bits of sleep from my eyes, and there stood my mom, cooking breakfast while humming her favorite song. I blinked several times, trying to figure out if I was seeing correctly or not. Then she turned, with a big smile on her perfect face, her green eyes dancing with happiness. "Hey sleepyhead! You fell asleep on the couch again. I swear, you might as well move all your stuff out to the living room, you sleep in here so much." She resumed cooking and the aroma hit me, making my stomach growl. "M... Mom?" I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "Shouldn't you still be at work? It's 7 o'clock. You're never back this early." She turned to face me again. "Are you ok? Honey, the diner doesn't open on Sundays. You don't look too hot, how are you feeling?" She walked to short distance of the room to place her small, delicate hand on my forehead, which felt like it was a thousand degrees. When she felt how hot it was, she bent down and looked me in the eye. "I don't _feel_ too hot..." As I said this, I closed my eyes, relishing the feeling of her hand on my face.

"Raven. You just called me "Mom", and asked me why I'm not at work. I don't have a job, so I'll ask again. Are you ok?" Startled, I threw my eyes open, and instead of my mother's vibrant, energetic green irises, there in front of me, were icy blue ones. Chris' icy blue eyes. "Wait? Where's..." I looked around franticly, feeling completely and utterly alone. "Where's my mom!?" I stood up, knowing, that it wasn't true. I knew, that I was hallucinating. That my mom was dead. That she sold my body, multiple times, and that she killed my dad. But this, this hallucination, it was from before all that. From when we were... A family. One, big, happy, family. "What? Raven, your mom is _dead_. She's not here." For some reason, when he said that, it triggered something in my mind, and I snapped.

 _"I know!_ I know she is! I know she's gone... I know..." I screamed at first, my insanity reaching it's peak, but when reality sank in, _I_ sank. I sank to the floor, my hands on my head, the tears starting to flow. "Hey... Hey, it's ok... Don't cry... You'll be ok..." He hugged me close, pulling me into his chest, rubbing my back with one hand, and my arm with the other. "I'm sorry... I've pushed all those memories to the back of my head, where I never pull them back up. So when I told you all about my past, they came up all by themselves. It just got to me for a second." When he didn't say anything, I pushed myself up, and for the second time, the aroma of fresh food washed over me. "Mmmhh... What is that? Where'd you get food?" He looked sheepish, like a dog caught doing something it shouldn't. Adorable, but suspicious at the same time. "Well, I saved up some money, just in case I lost that bet, and... I, uh, thought you probably would be hungry. So I went to the diner. They have some of the best food around." Aww... "Really? Thanks... It looks really great! Oh God... It smells amazing too!"

* * *

Chris:

After we finished breakfast, I walked her home. And by "we" I mean she ate, and I made sure she finished every last bite. When we walked up onto the doorstep, the curtains moved slightly, and Mr. Lachance peeked out of the window. The look in his eyes was bad enough when he saw her, but it worsened when he noticed me. In a matter of seconds, the door was opened so harshly that it almost came off the hinges. She jumped off the step in fright, almost knocking me over. "Where. Have. You. Been. You are supposed to be home by 10 o'clock! _Why_ were you not here by then?!" Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But Uncle... You never said that before. Why are you so mad?" His face contorted in unmanageable, pure hatred. _**"Do I have to?!"**_ He bellowed, surprising even me. "Raven, we shouldn't stay here." I told her in a hushed whisper. "He may not be exactly like our parents, but he still is dangerous when he's like this." The instant understanding was such a relief for me, don't ask me why. "I apologize, me and Gordie went camping, I thought you knew. I need to get to the library, I just came back to tell you and Auntie." Geez, she has talent! Mr. Lachance relaxed somewhat, he was still really pissed. "Why are you going with _him_ , he probably doesn't even read." He smirked, obviously holding back laughter at what he though was a "smart alec" remark. Bird-Girl put her hand on my arm, knowing that I would be upset by it. "He's just walking with me. He has some stuff to do. See you later!" She grabbed my hand and practically dragged me away from her house, faking a smile and waving to her uncle while he glared at her. "What is this, uh, 'stuff' I have to do?" When we were out of sight of Gordie's dad, she dropped the smile, and rolled her eyes. I couldn't help but notice that she wasn't letting go of my hand. When she saw me looking at our entwined fingers, she let go instantly. "I kinda just realized that I didn't even tell you why I said I attempted to kill myself..." I just nodded, not wanting to pressure her any more than I already had. By instinct, we were heading forwards the tree house, and she slowed her pace, making the 10 minute walk take longer.

"I was in my first foster home, and their children were awful people to me. They insulted me whenever they could, they obviously hated me. It was a big family, 5 kids. Only one was near my age. Trent, he was ten and a half. There was Emila, sixteen, Jonathen, fourteen, Cassy and Liz, twins, six years old. Then Trent. The mom was young, she was sixteen when she had Emila. The dad was some kind of lawyer or something like that. They lived not too far from my old house, so I went to the same school and whatever. I actually knew Trent, we went to the same school. Well, because of that, I still saw Nickolich often. My foster parents didn't think I needed tutoring, thank God, but he worked at my school. The dad, Ash, I think his name was, knew something was up. He knew that I had problems, and he weaseled it outta me what had been happening with Mike. So he reported it. Unfortunatly, they didn't bring Nickolich in for questioning unroll about a week after. He found out that I snitched, and broke into my room. He had a switchblade, and sliced my wrists open. I still have the scars. He was about to slit my throat when Jonathen came home. I was never more glad to see him. Mike told me to lie, pass it off as suicide. I was scared, stupid. So I did. He went out my window before Jon saw him. Everyone believed me, because of that whole, situation. He got arrested. For the "tutoring", he had taken pictures and videos, that he jerked off to whenever I wasn't around. The cops found them in his basement. Because of that, and my testimony, he was given ten years to life. Depending on how he behaves. That was right around when my parents died. I actually had to miss their funeral 'cause I was in court."

* * *

I'm actually quite proud of myself. I've never been able to get that whole story out. Why is it that not even my best friend could make me talk, but Christopher Chambers could?

* * *

 **Hello! I sorta want this to be longer, but I wanna get it out tonight, and I feel like I'm gonna collapse. Well, here it is. Raven Lachance's life story, completed. Hope it's enough for you guys. She has had a hard life, but there are harder parts that she needs to overcome. This whole, tortured past is only preparation for what's to come. She needs to be strong. Love you guys, lemme know if you have any suggestions for the Brower body hunt, bc it's coming up soon.**

 **Toodles!**

 **~ A.**


	8. Chapter 7: Swirls Of Color And Shapes

_Why is it that not even my best friend could make me talk, but Christopher Chambers could?_

What was it that told me I could trust him?

Was it the fact that he came from a broken home too? Or maybe he was just that kind of person. The kind you could trust with your life.

I'd rather not dwell on it all that much. If I did, I would most likely become suspicious of him. "Hey Raven, could you come over to help me dig?" I sighed, Vern had been digging under his front porch for awhile now. "I guess. Ain't got nothin' better to do." His face lit up. I had helped him set up a strategic way to dig, making it much easier to find his pennies. See, I had helped him draw that map, and I still had the rough sketches. I just didn't have the location. We had covered most of the ground, and I was starting to think maybe the jar filled with pennies wasn't there. I wanted to be sure before I told Vern though. "Do you think we'll find them today? I've been using that spare map you gave me, and I'm almost finished. I've dug up almost every square!" This shocked me. Had it really been that long since the last time I came over? "Wow Vern, at this rate, we should find them within the week!" His face literally shone with happiness. "Ya really think so? Man, that would be awesome shit, sincerely!" I smiled to myself, he always got excited over the simplest things. Like a little kid. I wish my childhood hadn't been ripped from me... "Come on, and maybe I'll buy you some Pez." I thought his face was gonna crack he smiled so hard.

 _~Some hours later~_

"Guys, you gotta let us up! Sincerely, this is the biggest thing ever!" We had run all the way from Vern's house to the tree house, and he wasn't the only one panting for air. "Guys, he's not shitting you. This shit is fucking gonna blow your mind." When I said that, there was some shuffling noises and the trap door opened. "Thanks you guys. I'll tell you about it, just lemme catch my breath." I was getting impatient, so I started without him. "We ran all the way here from his house-" I was cut off by the horrible, off key singing. "I RAN ALL THE WAY HOME!" I was annoyed beyond belief, because this shit was BIG! Vern voiced my thoughts as a whine, "Aw, screw you guys. You wouldn't believe us anyway." Chris put on a serious face, but I knew it was a bluff. I put my hand on Vern's chubby arm, silencing him. "We all know they ain't takin us serious. We'll tell you what we heard from some pansy-assed Cobras, but only if you promise not to interrupt us." They all took this into consideration. Then Teddie piped up. "Alright. What's so damn important, that you two wet heads are missing and moaning about?" Me and Verno exchanged a look, then went into it. "Ok, ok. Well, we were digging, ya know, and we heard Charlie and Billy talking..." We both spoke, filling in parts for each other, and when we finished, everyone was thinking hard. "So, you're saying, that Ray Brower, the kid that there's a reward out for, is dead. Out by Harlow Road. For sure?" Chris asked me, before relapsing into silence again. "Hey! If we went and got him, brought him back, we would be... Fucking, heroes! We might even make the newspaper!" This lightened our mood, making the room buzz with excitement. "Hey... Hey! I know the back Harlow Road, me and my dad used to fish out there! We could follow the train tracks all the way there, and then all the way back!" We all started yelling, except for Gordie. "But... What'll we tell our parents?" Vern was starting to get scared, and finally, Gordie spoke up. "Easy, me, Rave, Teddie and Chris say that we are out tenting in Vern's back field, and Vern'll say he's sleeping over at Teddie's. Then we tell them that we're going out to fish afterwards, they can't touch us for two days." Geez, he really worked that out... "And you wonder why you get straight A's. Man Gordo, you really got some talent." He seemed confused, but before he could say anything, Teddie started complaining. "Why can't we give a better alibi, why do we gotta be fishing. We should say something dope, like... The drag races, for example." I sorta blanked out, and stared into space, you know, like when you focus on one thing, and then you start seeing a big swirl of colors and shapes. I didn't even realize that my focus was on Chris. I was jolted out of my hypnosis by someone shaking me by my shoulders. "Come on Raven, say you'll come? It wouldn't be no fun without you." I wrenched Teddie and Vern's arms off me. "It's ANY fun, dipshit, learn English. And yeah, I'll go, if it means that much to you nerds."

* * *

 **Hey guys! So, I have a few things I need out in the open.**

 **1\. I know I said I liked original stories, but really, I don't wanna change this one too much. At least the period surrounding the Brower adventure. It'll pick back up in originality as soon as this is finished, I promise.**

 **2\. I've been trying to get one chapter out for every 24 hours. At least. They won't be extremely punctual, but I'll try my best. Which, ultimately, means, one chapter per day. Alright? That cool with you guys? Good. They'll probably mostly come after 12:00 AM Central Time. I live in the US, just putting that out there...**

 **3\. Trying to remember what I wanted to put here... Whatever, don't worry about that. It probably wasn't that important if I forgot it.**

 **Also, I would love it if you followed my Instagram, anonymous46322 and commented on my newest post your FanFiction username, and what your favorite part of this story is. I'll just crawl away now, so see you tomorrow! Hopefully...**

 **~ A.**

 **P.s. Yes, I know, this chapter sucked... Sorry...**


	9. Chapter 8: Just Like At Normandy

Come along, they said,

Won't be no fun without you, they said,

It'll be the best time of your life, they said.

But ya know what I'm thinking now? They fed me lies.

I'm bored as fucking hell, why the hell did I agree to this?! I'm walking way behind the others. Teddie and Vern are walking way in front, Chris and Gordie in the middle, and then there's me. There's still time though. I can sneak off in the other direction, go home, have a nice, _quiet_ day, watching TV. Ok, ok, that shit sounds more boring than being a fifth wheel. Not the third, the fifth. I'm the "Spare Tire". Woopdy-Doo... "Hey Raven, why do you look like your gonna drown?" I guess Chris finally noticed me, because now he's calling me out on my boredness. "You ain't thinkin of ditch us, are you?" How does this fucking kid always read my mind? "Actually, I _was_ thinking of going home, just relaxing, watching TV, but then I decided I didn't want to be alone. And my friends from home ain't answering my calls, so, I'm stuck with you guys." Everyone rolled their eyes and kept walking. Everyone, that is, except for golden-boy. He said something to Gordie and fell back, so that he was walking right beside me. "Whatdda want Chris. Just keep ignoring me, like everyone else." I crossed my arms and put on a pouty face, like a small child who can't get candy. "Aww, c'mon, we don't mean to. You're walking way back here, you should move up, walk with me and Gordo." I kept up with my fake pissed off attitude. "What's up with you, you've been quiet since this morning." I _really_ didn't want to see that body... "Nothing that concerns you, now just go and have fun, you seem to be good at that." He still wasn't satisfied though, why does he have to be so perceptive of others feeling. Not only that, he's probably the most stubborn guy I've ever met." Alright, tell me why you're acting like this. There's no reason, that I can think of, that you should be all depressed and shit." We hadn't gotten to the first bridge yet, and believe it or not, I was starting to get hungry. Thank God I decided to bring provisions. "Just leave me alone, don't think because I told you about my parents, that I'll be all 'expresive' with you, that night was a rare occasion, do not expect something like it to happen again." And with that, I sped up and walked with my favorite cousin, leaving a shocked Chambers behind me.

* * *

Chris:

What. The. Fucking. Hell. Why is she like this? One minute I'm her best friend, the next she can't stand to look at me. Maybe she's crazy. Shit, we all know she's crazy, but I'm the only one who knows why. I decided to drop it, I didn't want to get my head ripped off. We continued walking until we reached the first bridge. When we got there, there was a sense of imminent danger, like this was the point of no return. I know we all felt it. "Couldn't we just hitchhike?" Why is Vern always so damn whiney? It's so fucking annoying. "'Cause hitchhiking is for pussies." Thank you Teddie, for putting it so simply. "Lets just get this over with, my uncle was pissed enough that I'm going with you guys." Raven pushed her way to the front of the group and crossed the bridge as she spoke. "Alright! Wooo! Lets GO!" Teddie's excitement grew as he yelled then followed her. "Come on, what'r you waiting for!" I joined my two friends across the tracks, Gordie and Vern close behind.

 _~Two Hours Later~_

We had been walking for hours, and were getting hungry. "Uh, guys, I'm getting hungry, who brought the food?" Voicing my thoughts almost exactly, Vern's comment caught our attention. We all stopped, turning to face him. "Please tell me someone brought something." We looked at each other, Raven not even hearing what was going on. "Oh great, what are supposed to do, eat our feet?!" Then Bird-Girl stepped forward, "I have a little bit of food. Only enough for me and Gordie though, he never remembers anything important, I couldn't let him starve." I glanced at my best friend, to see that he was blushing slightly. For the past few months he had gotten used to doing everything for himself." Well you guys got something to eat, but what about us?!" Teddie was getting real pissed now. "Why didn't you bring some, it was your idea!" He whipped around to Vern, who flinched at the sudden movement. Somehow, me, Vern, and Teddie ended up in an almost fight, before both Lachance's yelled out, "HEY!" Very loudly. We froze, because neither of them were very loud. I mean, Raven was... Physical, she never missed a chance to punch, kick, or push any of us. But she was never loud. Gordie was the most introverted person I know, so for him to do that, was very... Off character... "Everyone, gimme your money. I'll count it up, and then we can go to Qidochelo's. Sound good? Good. Hand it over." She spoke in her usual, commanding, unwavering voice, while holding out her hand to us, palm up. We sighed defeatedly, and sat in a circle on the tracks. Each of us digging in our bags or knapsack for some loose change. "Alright, I got a dollar 50, $1.25 from Gordie, .25 cents from Ted, .10 cents from Chrissy, how'bout you Vern. Hand over whatever you got." Vern seemed very reluctant to give up the obviously small amount of money in his hand, but he must've thought better than to defy her when she was mad, because he sighed and dropped a few pennies into her waiting hand. "For real Vern, seven measly cents..." She let her words sink in before shrugging. "Well, I honestly have no clue how much we have, Gordon, you are appointed treasurer, add it up." No one said anything as she nonchalantly passed Gordie the money and stared out over my shoulder. In less than two seconds he said, "$3.17 isn't bad for a bunch of twelve year olds, we can get a pretty decent meal, who's gonna go?" "Nobody if we don't get up off our lazy asses and move." Again, Raven was the one who cut the tension as she pulled herself off of the tracks and gathered her bag. When we looked at her confused, all she did to explain was motion to the nearing train the we hadn't noticed. After seeing the incoming train, we hurried to get up and away, but Teddie, the crazy bastard, decided he wanted to dodge it.

"Train dodge, dig it. Just like at Normandy..." He started imitating machine gun noises when Raven stepped up onto the raised platform and stood beside him. "I want in too." Was all she said when he glanced at her questioningly.

No. No. No. What the fuck?! No!

* * *

 **Hello! I'm soooooooooo sorry, I've been falling asleep,and been unable to post, I know, sucky excuses, but it's better than the alternative. Again, I know what I said, about originality, but there's not much you can really change about this. But whatever.**

 **It is quite possible that I'm going on a short hiatus. Sorry.**

 **You know how you expect family to support you more than anyone else? Well, not mine. My parents both, my dad especially, don't support me in my writing, my drawing, my choice of friends, my boyfriend, my school, pretty much anything you can think of, they disapprove of how I do it, or that I do it at all. My dad insults my work, my art and writing, and it hurts, because he's the one person in my life who I'd do practically anything to gain his approval. It also hurts because I pour all my heart and soul into my stories, I mean,constructive criteria, fine. Not the constant, "This is garbage. Show me something good." That I get from him. My ego is damaged, and my confidence shattered. I don't like sharing my work with friends or family, because their rejections hurt the most.**

 **I'm not saying I don't care what you guys think, but honestly, I don't give a shit what some troll may say** **about me. I'll probably never met them, or have any significant relationship with them. So what do I care? My dad, I do care.**

 **So, I need to take a break, to rebuild my walls, if I don't focus on that, I'll be left vulnerable for much too long. But I promise, I'll try to be back soon.**

 **Love you guys,**

 **~ A.**


	10. Chapter 9: Slugger Duchamp

**"** No. Guys, you're crazy, don't do this." Chris pleaded, with worry and fear extremely evident in his voice. I wanted to tell him that I had no intention of letting me or Teddie stay on the track long enough for the train to come near us. But if I did, then Teddie would know, and he'd kill me. Sincerely, I had no doubt about it. I grimaced inwardly when I caught myself using Vern's favorite word. "Get off the tracks! You wanna die?!" Chris almost never raised his voice, he was always so devoted to keeping the peace. "Sincerely, guys, don't be stupid..." Vern called weakly, then Gordie joined in, trying to convince me and Teddie to stop acting like morons. He seemed truly scared, and I instantly hated myself, making him think I was actually gonna try to dodge the freight train barreling toward us. I entwined my fingers in Teddie's, making him raise an eyebrow at me. I only shrugged, then planted my feet firmly apart, level with my shoulders. I stared straight ahead, focusing on estimating how far away that freight was. The rest of the boys started panicking, looking at the train, then at me and Teddie, then back at the incoming train. Chris especially. I suddenly felt bad for snapping at him earlier, I hadn't meant to take out my frustration on him... he was quite probably the best friend I ever had. Just as Golden Boy ran up to drag us off the incline, I shove Teddie as hard as I could - which was pretty hard, because running around the streets of the west side of Chicago is just about all the exercise you need. "Hey! What the hell! No, lemme go!" Together, we ripped Duchamp away just as the train flew past us, kicking and screaming. The both of them started yelling at each other while the long black blur flew by, causing a loud, deafening scream type sound. After it passed, I could hear Chris yelling at Teddie at the top of his lungs. **_"You wanna die?! Is that it?! You wanna kill yourself! You fucking tried to kill yourself!"_** Hearing him say that, sent me back to a few weeks ago, when he had confronted me.

 _"You fucking tried to kill yourself."_

It only lasted a second, but I still heard it. "I don't need no babysitter." Four-Eyes whispered. His voice was dripping with venom, just daring anyone to touch him. "You do too." Chris countered, wheezing for breath, after screaming, he must have needed oxygen pretty bad. Turning to me, Teddie pointed at me with a sticky, sweaty finger. "You. You tricked me. I'll kill you." What have I done?... He lowered his voice even more, which is near impossible, it was already so quiet. Have I messed things up for good? This time, unlike any of the other times he had threatened me, his eyes... They held a kind of malicious evil, and I felt my body freeze and chills run all over. Right now, with that look, he triggered _very_ unfavorable memories. The memories I had worked so hard to repress. He crouched down, like a cat, preparing to attack. I still stood motionless, unable to move. There wasn't enough time to move anyway, he sprung so fast, I was on the ground in less than half a second, blocking my face and ribs with my arms, in a defensive ball on the dry grass. A position I was way too familiar with. My reflexes hadn't failed me, protecting my sensitive body as I deflected the worst of his violent punches. He pummeled my body, putting bruises on my raised arms and my sides. Thankfully, I didn't have to suffer long. In a matter of seconds, his weight was gone, and I opened my eyes to see him and Chris swinging at each other. Chris was yelling at him, "What the fuck man, you'd hit a girl cause she helps save your life?! That's messed up! She was HELPING you!" "I don't need no help from anyone!" Their voices drifted away slowly. Or was I the one drifting? Either way, they faded until all I could hear or see was darkness. Then the dark gave way to a scene I thought I would never have to live through again.

 _"On the bed. Now." He ordered me as soon as I walked into his living shabby living room. "Um, ok, but what about my schoolbooks? We didn't even look at them last time..." She was a small girl, probably only 6 years old. He was a tall, buff man in his early thirties. "We'll get to those later. Just get on the bed. And take your clothes off." She started shaking, but did what he said. She remembered her dear mother telling her to always do what he said, and he wouldn't hurt her..._

That awful, awful time faded back into nothing, and I was greeted with black again. This time, I welcomed it, and prayed to God that I wouldn't have to see another hallucination. "Raven?... Guys, she don't look too good..." Vern's voice penetrated the void I was in, but it was still faint, and I wondered if I had even really heard it. "Yeah Vern, good going. Raven... Wake up... Fluffy, c'mon, please, wake up..." _Fluffy..._ Dennys nickname for me... I haven't heard that in awhile...I felt a slight shaking to go along with my cousins pleading, then yet another voice came along. "Raven... Raven, I didn't mean too... If you don't wake up, I'll... I'll personally kill you! Wake up..." I could feel myself smirk at Teddie's empty threat. Then, a voice I was all too glad to hear, almost broke my heart. "Oh God, uh, guys... I think... Fuck... Raven. Raven Wake up... Please? If you don't... What'll the rest of us do, huh? Just pretend you never existed?" Then he lowered his voice and whispered in my ear, "You have no idea what you mean to me... Don't leave me hanging... Please..." Hearing the desperate, passionate emotion, and feeling his breath on my ear and neck, the fuzzy, warm emptiness was drawn back, and my eyes fluttered open. "Ugh... Where's my bed?... Fuck, Teddie, I'm not calling you that anymore, your new name is Slugger, whether you like it or not." There was a spontaneous sigh of relief, and Gordie and Chris helped my up, seeing as they were the closest to me. In both physical and emotional proximity. "Now that we know you're not dying, why did you do that?" Right on Chris, straight to the point. As always. "Hey, I thought it all out. Teddie - I mean, Slugger - would refuse to get his ass off the tracks, and you would go up to do it yourself, so... I decided to help out, and push him off at the appropriate time. There's nothing all that wrong about it, except that Slugger Duchamp tryed to kill me. And that's only because he's crazy." Everyone stared at me incredulously. "From my observations, you are most likely more crazy than the pile of shit with a thousand eyes." Chris tryed to keep a straight face while he said it, bit failed and had to take a break to catch his breath. Gordie was also trying not to laugh. "But whatever, lets just keep going, ok? It all good, right? No more death wishes, or insane trickery?" I snorted at him, he rarely used full English, and when he did, it was to mock the douchebags up on the View. "Yeah, fine." Me and Teddie answered at the same time. "Yo, skin it. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry." Me and Four Eyes had hung back, while the rest of the gang walked ahead, and now he was being apologetic for once. But what shocked me the most was his offer. No one in our group had told me to "skin it" before. It was their thing, and I was fine with not being a part of it, because they had been doing that since they were little. I had just got here in August of last year, and Gordie hadn't introduced me to them until just this summer. Who was I to intrude on their traditions? "Uh, yeah... Ok. That's fine..." He still held his hand out, palm up, so I gave in and slid my own palm against his. His face lit up, then he ran off, to catch up with Vern, no doubt.

* * *

Chris:

Teddie had told me he wanted to patch things up with Raven, to make sure she didn't hate him for life. I told him she probably wouldn't, she barely held grudges. He still insisted, and I told him fine. I don't even get why he felt he had to ask me first. Then when I heard him ask her to do our handshake - of sorts - I figured it out. I was glad he liked her enough to want her a part of the gang, permanently. When she passed out, man, it scared the shit outta me... We slowed as we made it to a trellis, crossing the river. It was over a hundred feet high, and the planks were about a foot apart.

How did we get here so fast?...

* * *

 **Hello! So, my ego is back to its monstrous size, and I got back to work! I have a huge pride problem, so when someone insults me, it takes ALOT of self control to not kill them. But whatever... this chapter actually took me a few days to write, so...**

 **El, you are right, it's not fitting for her to try a train dodge, but it IS fitting for her to PRETEND to dodge a train. She is a lot like me, cause I would do that... lol.**

 **What do you think is gonna happen now that they're crossing this giant bridge thingy?**

 **Hint: is things aren't full of action, I get bored.**

 **Oh, and I just realized that I messed up this whole timeline. So, Imma explain it.**

 **IMPORTANT**

 **August 19 - Raven arrives.**

 **School starts.**

 **Raven runs into Vern, helps him make his map.**

 **School makes Raven impossibly busy, not only because she's the "New Girl" but also because the school is a lot less caring about the children in Chicago, where she's used to it. Becuase of this, she only knows the other two boys (Teddie and Chris) because she notices them in the halls and the rumors going around about both of them.**

 **School ends, Raven finally settles herself, and because of stupid school, she still has thing to unpack. Gordie takes her to formally meet his friends.**

 **They sort of accept her, but don't really like her much at first.**

 **Raven beats up one of the biggest bullies in the school, and the boys realize she's no typical girl.(flash backs will come about this)**

 **The five spend most of their time in the tree house, until summer gets full swing.**

 **June. Raven tells her history to Chris.**

 **Early September. They set out to find Ray Brower.**

 **So, yeah... Thas how I'm picturing it...**

 **Toodles,**

 **~ A.**

 **P.S. Sorry for any mistakes or misspellings, I usually write this on my phone, and the keyboard is small... I try to filter through all the bugs, but even when I think I got them all, some still show up after I post it... Super frustrating...**

 **Bye!**


	11. Chapter 10: Crappy Bridges, What To Do?

**So hey! I know I usually put the AN after the chapter, but, time for a change! Actually, Cosmic asked me a few questions and I wanted to answer them before I forget...**

 **#1. My favorite SBM character is Chris. And Teddie/Slugger. I have two, no problems, right?**

 **#2. I feel like the Chris/Gordie ship doesn't really make sense... Ok, I can see Gordie being gay, sorta, but not Chris... He's too... Idk, I don't want to offend anyone, and apparently LGBTs are very easy to upset, so... They don't usually understand my veiws...**

 **#3. MLP and SBM? Idk... How would that even work? My Little Pony is in cartoon world, and SBM, isn't... I think too leveled, I wouldn't like it, just because I like it when things are realistic, and that... Wouldn't be. You understand, right?**

 **These are just _my_ opions, you don't need to take them to heart. You go get your own.**

* * *

I stepped onto the first plank, in front of Vern and Gordie, and tried in vain not to gulp. I could hear the steady footfalls of Slugger up ahead, and Chris', and behind me I could hear Vern crawling across. I scoffed, I mean, ok. I was a little bit scared of heights, but not to the extent of _crawling._ Really, he needs to grow some nuts. I was starting to get a funny feeling, like something bad was about to happen... I just couldn't think what. Then, when I was just past halfway, Gordie called out as loud as he could. _**"TRAIN!"**_ I cursed under my breath, why, oh why God? Right when we cross the bridge thing? I started running, as did the boys ahead of me. Vern as my cousin, on the other hand... I looked back for a split second to see Vern fall on his face, and then a loud, sickening crack sounded. "Shit!" I screamed the only coherent word that came to my mind as I suddenly fell. "Fuck, Vern, get up!" I heard Gordie yell, they must've not noticed my absence yet... I looked around franticly, as time seemed to still. I saw a metal beam and reached out for it. It almost slipped through my grip, almost. I felt my shoulders jolt, and I remembered how easily my left arm dislocated, since I had fallen from a tree when I was six and it never fully recovered. Fuck, if it diclocates now, I swear to God... Thankfully, it didn't, and time resumed. The train was coming closer now, and it let out a loud as hell whistle, which might have popped my ear drums. My legs dangled and started to ache, a not-so friendly reminder of the river over a hundred feet below. Thinking quickly, I swung my short legs up, and wrapped them tightly around the thin, rusted steel beam. I heard my friends and cousin screaming my name, they probably think I'd fallen, which is exactly what happened. They just didn't think I caught myself. I was now in an upside down position, and the trellis started shaking, so I wrapped my arms around the metal thing and knotted them. By knotting, I mean I twisted my hands and forearms into an uncomfortable position that wasn't even possible for most people. But I'm not "most people". If you haven't already noticed. I gritted my teeth as I tightened my hold until I thought my limbs would snap in half. The incoming train caused such an extreme shaking and vibrating of the bridge, that when it finally passed my teeth were chattering. I saw Chris and Gordie run to the edge of the river and wade into it a few feet, calling my name. As soon as I was sure my molars wouldn't fall out, I yelled down to them, "Chris! Gordie! You're looking in the wrong place!" When they didn't see me, I yelled again. "Up here you dipshits! Hanging off the bridge? Over here!" To be completely honest, I might've shit myself, I was so scared. But I wasn't about to let them know that, now was I? "Raven! How the hell... Never mind, I'm not gonna ask..." Slugger poked his head down the gap I'd left when I crashed through the plank of wood and scoffed at me. "Just help me up, would ya?" As he reached down his hand, Chris and Gordon showed up too. "Dear God, stop doing that!" Gordie yelled when the three of them pulled me up onto the "safety" of the trellis and then hugged me as tight as he could. "Ok, ok... I'll never do whatever it it you're telling me not to do, if you stop trying to break my ribs. It's easy enough, please? It hurts like hell when they do..." After I said that he released me. "I think you've made us think you're gonna die enough for one day, why don't we stop soon?" Chris, the only other sensible one of us suggested, and me, being all to glad to get off this death trap, agreed instantly. But when I turned to walk away, I bumped into someone. "Oof... Geez, Raven, you need to not walk so fast, that hurt. Sincerely." Vern's whiney voice told me that it was him I walked into. "Well Verno, I sorta want to put as much space between me, and this crappy ass bridge. Is that so wrong?"

* * *

 **Sorry for the super late update...**

 **My dad sorta grounded me from writing...**

 **Not fun... Especially because this is pretty much my only hobby...**

 **Welrp, not much I can do.**

 **Do y'all know about FictionPress? I'm working on posting my first original story there!**

 **I'm so excited!**

 **My pen name is the same as on here; WhenPigsFly2018**

 **I also will be working on branching to WattPad too. I've been pretty busy...**

 **I'll let y'all know when I'm live on WP. M'kay? Good.**

 **I feel like this could be much better... *Dramatic sigh* Well, we'll speed through the next few parts of the movie, then it should be smooth sailing! More... "Original" ideas, all that sweet goodness. Well, I'll see you next chapter, BYE! *waves like a crazed lunatic***

 **~ A.**


	12. Chapter 11: Uncharacteristic Behavior

"Chris... I..." Chris and I were alone. Well, technically. The others were something like twenty feet ahead, and not paying any attention to us. I was trying, and very hard, to swallow my pride and just tell him that I never meant to act so bitchy towards him. Ugh, I can't even say the word "apologize" in my head... I really got some problems here, don't I? "What's up? Uh, I don't want you to bite my head off, but... You don't seem all that good, are you ok?" To be honest, I wasn't. I cringed inwardly when I realized just exactly he had said. "Yeah... About that... I'm sorry... I didn't mean it, I was just... Frustrated, I guess. I never meant to take it out on you. You were just in the line of fire." I refused to look up, I could not - no, would not - let him see the blush on my cheeks. So instead, I hung my head, letting my thick, black hair fall over my face. It had gotten a bit chilly about an hour ago, so, naturally, I had pulled it out of the pony tail it had been in. "I know. I just worry... Maybe a little too much. But you're good. I'm just... You've been through so much, it's gotta be traumatizing. Please don't shut me out." He reached down as he spoke and gently brushed the dark curtain away, causing my already scorching blush to deepen. This is so unlike him, he doesn't act like this... I couldn't look up, or I wouldn't be able to look away, so I focused on my nails. I studied them, wondering how so much dirt could get under them. It didn't work, he put his sweaty hand under my chin, cupping it his palm, and pulled my head up. I am a very stubborn person, and still averted my gaze, until he whispered softly, "Raven, look at me. I don't want you to be like this." My eyes involuntarily snapped to his, and my prediction was right. I became lost in his pale, icy blue eyes. Our faces were mere inches away from each other, and any snappy response I had was blown out the window of my mind. I mentally scolded myself for being so affected by his closeness, I'd been close, closer, in fact, to guys like this before. How much different is this? _Because he's your friend. Or so he says..._ A familiar voice sang, much like the one, or ones, in my reoccurring dreams. "Guys, we're here... Chambers, step away from my cousin!" Gordie called out, alerting us that we had made it to the junkyard. Instead of allowing Chris to follow Gordons stern command, I did. I put a few feet space between us, but left the hand that somehow found its way into his alone. Our arms fell, leaving just our hands swinging in the middle of us. From the way we were standing, I could see our shadows. Two silhouettes, one a few inches taller than the other, connected by one long arm hanging in a V position...

 _Why does this look familiar?_

* * *

Chris:

Shit... I'd almost kissed her... Oh shit. I can't, she... She's supposed to be my _friend._ And what about Gordie? Ok, no, I'm not _intimidated_ by him... But he's my best friend. And he's a little... Protective... Of Raven. It kinda hurts, because it seems like he doesn't believe that I'm gonna treat her right. Shit, she's so... Everything. I hate that the people she loved the most, the people who were supposed to love her the most, hurt her worse than anyone else. She's gotta have some issues, right? Or am I just worrying about nothing? Should I let go of her hand? No way, I love the way her tiny hand fits into my big one. Like it was meant to stay there. I could never do anything to make her upset... And if I did, it would probably kill me. How could she ever feel the same for me? Just another Chambers kid, that's all I am... Not that she has all that good of a reputation either. All the adults of the town talk about her, and say that she'll marry some loser, and get knocked up at seventeen. Or the other way around. All the kids say she's a weird tomboy, who'll never amount to anything, and that she'll end up jumping off a cliff at sixteen. Not very good things... It takes my whole being not to lunge at them and pummel the life out of their filthy mouths. She, on the other hand, couldn't care less. She walks past them, knowing full well what they're giggling and whispering about, and flashes them a radiant smile, completely ignoring the fact that they snicker and point whenever she walks by. Why can't I do that? Just ignore them... Maybe because I want them to not think of me badly just because of my dad and brother, I mean, she _did_ attack the biggest kid in school. He ran home crying with two black eyes and a broken wrist. All because he ranked her dad. I wish I had that kind of fearlessness. Unfortunately, wishes are stupid, they never come true.

I could never have the same, I'm-gonna-be-me-so-you-can-fuck-off, attitude. Which is probably the reason I find myself thinking about her all the time, because I want that. I want to be able to just push past the people who beat me down, like she does.

Whatever, it's all just pussy anyway.

* * *

We scaled the fence going, Teddie first, as always, shouting WWII war cries, Vern second, Chris and Gordie third, then me. I always seemed to come last. I shook my head as I watched my cousin and his best friend race to the old water pump about forty feet away. Chris had practically begged Gordie to race, and in turn, Gordie pretended to not want to, but then yelled, "go" and ran. Whereas Gordie was running as hard as he could, Chris was only a little ways behind, and steadily catching up. He was also narrating, and still gaining on Gordo fast. He passed him up just before the pump then skidded to a stop after winning. He was still narrating, then cupped his hands to his mouth and made noises like a roaring crowd. Talk about egotistical. "Ok, I saw the whole thing. Man, you need to work out a bit Gordie. I mean, Chambers over there isn't even that out of breath. Look at you, wheezing away, you need some water?"

* * *

 **Hello! Sorry this took so long... like I mentioned before, my dad put a ban on writing, so I had to do some sneaking to get this to you guys.**

 **To Cosmic and Izout,**

 **First, thank you for reviewing! Second, Cosmic, I'm starting to warm up to that MLP/SBM crossover. Lol. And thanks, hope you had a good holiday too, whatever you celebrate. That goes for everyone. Third, Izout, sorry I haven't been able to get you a teaser, but... be warned, it will most likely be from really far into the story. Like, when Raven is something around 20 years old. And about the formatting... If the fact that my stories are usually middle centered bothers anyone, than please say so. No guarantees that I'll change it though... I like doing things my own way.**

 **Well, ggg-that's all folks!**

 **~~Loony Tune Reference~~**

 **Lots o Love,**

 **~ A.**


	13. Chapter 12: Ticklish Much?

**So, I'm back with another chapter, and it hasn't even been a month! Cosmic, I am so, so, soooo glad to hear that, I love the thought that someone anticipates what my vivid and senile imagination comes up with! And to answer your question, I have no idea when he'll lift the ban. All I know is that I'm not gonna give two shits about it. He cannot take this away from me. I love my readers, and (hopefully) they love me. Just imagine being told you weren't allowed to talk. And if you did, you would be grounded for seven months. That's how I feel.**

 **Werlp, enough of this AN, go read, and if it suits you, review!**

* * *

We were laughing, spitting water at a empty can, and generally just being idiots. Our hunger almost completely forgotten. Then Gordie had to go and spoil it by reminding us. Why Gordo, why? Well, too late to change it. Now the whole gang, including me, had stomachs growling louder than grizzlies. "Who's gonna go?" That one question caused am eruption of shouts, mostly protests. "Hey, hey, hey! We'll flip for it." I suggested, except they all knew it wasn't an option. Gordie, since he had the money, he handed out five quarters. I pushed his hand back when he reached it out, no way was I going alone. "Aww, c'mon, you gotta!" Was the cry that resounded loudly, from all four boys, who were now approaching me threateningly. "Hey, hey, now children, it isn't nice to hurt girls. Didn't your mommies teach you that?" I put my hands up and scooted away, backing into a pile of junk, indicating my wish for peace. "Who said we're gonna _hurt_ you?" Chris growled, emphasizing the "hurt". Before I could even blink, there were four sweaty pairs of hands attacking my sides. My arm instinctively shot down to block them, but someone grabbed both of my wrists and pinned them above my head. My laughter peeled out in bursts, pretty soon I was gasping for air, but they were relentless. They continued to tickle me until my face turned red and my throat was starting to constrict. When they finally did stop, I couldn't get up. I didn't even try. I just laid there, in the dirt, with my eyes closed, trying to catch my breath. "Guys, you didn't give me time to explain, I don't want to flip because I don't want to go alone. I'll go with whoever loses. You didn't have to attack me... Losers." I muttered that last part under my breath, not wanting another round of torture. Unfortunatly, they still heard. Fortunalty, Chris and Gordie thought I had enough. Gordie especially. Athsma runs in our family. Yay, no more tickling!

* * *

Chris:

God, her laughter is beautiful... _She's_ beautiful. I had to remember to ask Gordie where she got her looks from. I know sure as Hell that she didn't get that hair and those eyes from the Lachance family. Her mom musta been hot. Too bad she was a witch though... No, I can't think like that, Raven obviously loved her, and somehow, in some twisted way, understood her mothers situaton. "Alright, you don't gotta flip, but what do we get in return?" I was met with a withering glare, and a cold response. "Don't you think the degrading experience of being tickled is enough?" I thought about this for a moment. "Nope. You gotta pay us for not taking part in the group activities." I knew she was getting pissed, but hey, what kinda friend would I be if I didn't mess with her? Unfortunately, she knows this, and calmed herself before responding. "I'm going with whoever loses, end of discussion." She crossed her arms across her chest firmly and looked away to clarify that she wasn't going to argue the point further. "Alright, lets just get on with this, the yard is gonna open soon." Gordie, the voice of reason, demanded and flipped his coin. Me, Vern, and Teddy followed suit. Only to be meet with four tails. Great, now Vern's gonna put up a fuss. "Oh man you guys, a goocher, that's bad. Sincerely, this is bad." "Verno, no one believes in moons and goochers, that's baby stuff. Just flip." We all did as Teddy instructed, except, of course, for Vern. "Veeerrrnn, c'mon!" Finally, he got over his fear and flipped his quarter, "Oohh, Gordon Lachance, the odd man out, I always knew." Gordie just gave Teddy a glare much like one of Ravens, "Shut up." This just triggered one of our favorite chants. "I don't shut up, I grow up! And when I look at you, I throw up!"

* * *

 **So, really sorry for the short-ish chapter, I haven't had much inspiration for this story, but, no worries, we're almost done with the Ray Brower search! Once we're out of this tunnel, we'll get to the REAL stuff. And also, I messed up the timeline really bad, I'm totally confused now, I have like no idea when things happened anymore. So, she went to live with them AFTER Denny died, but she was around since last year. She was just living with someone else. Who, you may ask, my answer is...**

 **I'll get back to you, m'kay?**

 **See you later, and hopefully I have things sorted out by then,**

 **Love you guys,**

 **~ A.**


	14. Chapter 13: When The World Stops

**Happy birthday Cosmic(sorry I got that wrong...)! I saw your review and believe me, I worked as hard as I could to get this out. ;)**

 **Love you!**

* * *

"Hey Raven... Do you thing I'm weird, like at all?" I was a bit taken back by Gordie's abrubt question, but I answered quickly, "Yeah, but we're all weird, makes no difference." He wasn't satisfied though, "Seriously, is there something wrong with me?" I stopped walking, and turned my body so that I was facing him. "No Gordie, there is _nothing_ wrong with you. You're smart and friendly, you always stick up for me, and you're there whenever I need you... If anyone tells you otherwise, I'll knock them out. And don't think I won't." My small speech was met with silence. "My dad does..."

This made my blood boil more than it ever had before. So _that's_ what had been bothering him...

"Gordie, you shouldn't let that make you feel like you're no good. He just wants you to be another Denny. He lost his star, so he wants his other son to be exactly like him. I know the type of parents, trust me. But honestly, if it were me, I would go out of my way to be nothing like that. Be the opposite of what he wants you to be."

"You'd really beat up my dad?"

* * *

Chris:

"They're taking too long..." By saying this, I got some strange looks from Teddy and Vern. "What's wrong Chambers, you worried about your girlfriend?" I couldn't stand it when Teddy teased me about her, he knew ,somehow, how I felt. "Shut the hell up. You don't know nothing. I'm more worried about Milo Pressman and Chopper. What if the junkyard opens before they get back?" This comment seemed to get through to him. "Oh, yeah... I'd forgotten about that..."

"Hey... What if Milo sics Chopper on us? I don't want my balls ripped off!" Oh great, now Vern's all worked up. "Verno, if you keep screaming like that's a, then you'll definitely get them torn off." His eyes widened as he clamped his mouth shut. Good, now I can actually think.

"Hey, there's Pressman! He's getting ready to open!" Teddy shout-whispered.

"Shit... Let's get outta here, when Gordie and Raven get here they can climb the fence." I felt bad for being such a coward, but hey, a guys nuts mean a lot to him...

"Alrighty then, we got all our stuff?" I glanced around to make sure I didn't forget any 'evidence' and then nodded to Four-Eyes. "Then let's go! Move out men!" We scaled the fence swiftly, without attracting any attention to ourselves, but as I jumped down, I saw the two cousins walking side by side, with matching expressions on their faces. Expressions that said, 'Why the hell are you ditching us?'

 _"C'mon, hurry guys!"_

They looked around, confused, then caught sight of Mr. Pressman himself.

I could almost see the words running through their heads.

 _'Shit, shit, shit, shit!'_

"Hey! Hey you two! Get back here! Hey, I'll sic my dog on ya! Chopper, sic 'em boy!" That dreaded call made both of them run harder, faster than I'd ever seen anyone run. Faster than _me_. Suddenly, a golden red blur of fur and bones shot out from behind a pile of junk.

"Run, move your asses!" We all started shouting at them to go faster, seeing as the dog was gaining on them. After what felt like hours, they finally reached the barbwired fence and clambered over it as fast as they could without killing themselves. When I could reach Gordie I pulled him down roughly so that Raven would have some room to spare. Then I yanked her down by her ratty t-shirt. "Fuck!" Just as she hit the dirt, the so-called "beast" of a dog named Chopper threw his scrawny body into the fence, as if he thought he could barrel through it. He jumped at it whining and pawed at the ground.

"That's Chopper?" Gordie wheezed out, I was in shock that somehow this poor, malnurished creacure could have such a bad rep... "Aw hell, it's just a Retriever... They can barely do any harm..."

"Hey Choppy, look, kiss my ass Choppy!" Teddy taunted the dog, shaking his rear end right up to the barrier as he laughed his signature, nails-on-a-chalkboard screech.

"Hey, don't tease my dog! I know you... I know all of you! You're Teddy Duchamp!" Milo clunkered up to us and pointed a grubby finger at Teddy as he backed away from him. He reeked of whiskey and stale cigars. Reminds me of my dad... Ugh, disgusting... "You're Chris Chambers!" He turned to me next. "And you, you're Gordon Lachance! Yeah... I know all you guys." After he had looked at all of us boys accusingly, he turned to Rave with a disgusting, lustful, sultry look. He looked her up and down, especially focusing of her chest. By instinct I stepped forward, blocking her from his view.

"Oh, is she yours, boy? Did I overstep my bounds? I'll take what I want, you can't stop me. Now get off my property, before I call the cops." This triggered me more than I could ever imagine, and for the first time in my life, I wanted to kill someone. I wanted to beat them until there was no more life in their body. Unfortunately, Teddy got to him first.

 _"Leave her the fuck alone! If you touch her, I'll rip your head off!"_

He lauched himself at Milo's sweaty, over weight body, and when he was stopped by the flimsy gate he clung to it, and started climbing over it. I reflexivly went towards him to pull him down, at the same time as Gordo.

"Hmph, no wonder you're acting this way, with a Looney for a father." All of the sudden, he stopped. That one comment, seemed to make the whole world stop spinning for Teddy.

"What did you just say." He demanded, in just over a whisper. "You heard me. Your father, he took your ear, he put it to a stove. And he almost burnt it off. If that ain't a looney then I don't know what is." Teddies face went from, dark, and possibly murderous, to dark and extremely murderous.

"You say that one more time, and I'll kill you." It almost looked like Pressman was gonna back off, but he didn't.

"Looney, Looney, Looney." He pronounced every syllable, making it even more offensive.

 **"I'm gonna rip your head off and shit down your neck, fatass!"**

"Go ahead and try it, c'mon, you wanna fight me?"

Now Gordie was a part of the screaming match.

"Sure, you only out weigh him by 500 pounds, fatass!"

" _Children_! Shut the hell up and let's go. We don't wanna be late." Raven shocked us all by yelling at us, making us calm down. Teddy let go of the fence and dropped to the ground, so I had to lift him up and guide him away. Gordie grabbed his bag quietly and stalked off after us, and Vern was already waiting for us. "Oh sure Missy, you may have stopped this one, but what'll happen when you can't? Then what'll your boyfriend's say, you little bitch." He had the nerve to call after her as she trailed behind us, and I heard her spin on her heel, walk backwards for a few strides, then turn back. I glanced back at her to see what she was doing, and I saw her hand still stuck in an obscene gusture. I snickered at her smug, satisfied face. I also saw Mr. Junkyards face. It was all scrunched up and his whole head was red with fury.

We showed him...

* * *

 **Welp... So, soooo srry for not updating... Seriously... I hate myself for it. I made a commitment to you guys and this story... I refuse to abandon it! But, whatever. I've been grounded for the worst reason ever, if you wanna know, it's on one on my recent posts on Insta.**

 **anonymous46322**

 **But yeah... Hope you like this chapter! Sorry if it's not what you expected... I hope I portrayed Milo Pressman's inner filthienes well enough!**

 **Love you! ❤❤❤**

 **~ A.**


	15. DO NOT GET EXCITED

**Whew, man, summers been busy. Sorry if you guys are getting all excited, this isn't exactly an update... For the story at least.**

 **Imma just run through what I've been doing these past three months.**

 **#1. I joined a swim team. Rams Aquatic Club. RAC for short. It. Is. Death. I wake up at 6:00 AM, from Monday thru Thursday, to be there at 7:45 in time, and it's an hour and a half of pure torture. But I love it. Keeps me busy.**

 **#2. Volunteering. I helped teach swim lessons for three weeks.**

 **#3. WE GOT CHICKENS! And ducks. Both species are about 5 weeks old now, and they are SOO. CUTE! Omg, it's been so fun having them. But hard at the same time...**

 **#4. Trying to avoid seeing my ex best friend, who lives across the street... That was hard to do...**

 **#5. Trying not to be super depressed at not seeing my _current_ best friend. THAT was supperrr hard to do...**

 **#6. Went to camp, in Wisconsin. IT. WAS. AWESOME. I met a ton of new people, and from that, I discovered a TON of new personalities for characters. *wink***

 **#7. Held a ball python. (at camp)**

* * *

 **So, yeah... been busy... Sorry, but I'm really not in a writing mood right now. I got bird poop all over my pants, gotta go clean that up... I just got back from MI, took two hours... I'm exhausted, really. I'll try to get something out by Wednesday, M'kay?**

 **~ A.**


	16. Chapter 14: Old Feelings

Raven:

We continued walking for what seemed like forever, before we finally found a place to camp for the night.

"So who's hungry?"

Just those three words set off a chorus of fake cries of what the boys called, 'starvation'.

"Gordie has the food." I don't know why I set him up for that, but that information made the others pounce on him and dig through his duffel bag. I wasn't even that hungry, but apparently they didn't get breakfast.

"Here Raven, this is for you." My cousin tried to hand me a piece of hamburger, but I just shook my head. I didn't feel like talking. "What's wrong?" I only shook my head again. He knew he wouldn't be able to get me to take it so he just frowned at me and gave up. "I'll save it for you, ok?" I nodded my head in response.

As I watched my four best friends eat contentedly, I started to drift of into my memories.

* * *

 _"No. No! See that sign? It says NO GIRLS ALLOWED, in case you suddenly can't read."_

 _"But Chris, she don't act like a girl, ya know? She don't wear dresses, she can easily beat up kids twice her size, and she ain't afraid of getting dirty."_

 _"But she's a GIRL. So no, she can't hang around us. And besides, she's just gonna tag along, not wanting to do anything fun."_

 _I'd heard enough, I hated people who underestimated me. But at the same time, it made for a better impression when they realized I was nothing like what they thought._

 _I spoke in a cryptic voice as I stepped around the corner of the massive tree. "Hey Gordie, wanna go driving?" I put my hand on my hip and waggled my eyebrows as I made it a point to not look at the dirty, blonde-haired, blue-eyed kid next to my cousin._

 _"Driving? You know how to drive?"_

 _I completely ignored him as I raised my eyebrows again in an unspoken question._

 _"Isn't that dangerous?"_ _My cousin asked uncertainly._

 _"Of course, but it's fun. Yes or no. I'll just do it by myself ya know."_

 _He gave in with a sigh and walked towards me, away from his friend. I hated putting him on the spot like this, but I couldn't stand that boy._

* * *

"What you thinkin' about?"

I was shocked out of my trance and almost fell in the dying fire. "Um, I-uh... What?" I faltered and gave up, looking at Chris with a confused face.

"What are you thinking about?" He repeated with a shake of his head and a smile.

"About how much you used to hate me."

"I didn't know you. There's a difference."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

I looked away from him, the flames were throwing an orange glow on his face, and it was starting to hurt my eyes.

The rest of the boys were talking about stupid things, like Goofy, Have Gun Will Travel, Mickey Mouse, Annette, stupid stuff. My sleeping bag was closest to the fire, and Chris must have moved his because he was right next to me now.

"You know, you're probably the only person I've ever met who I haven't figured out?" I told him without looking up. I took a second to glance up at him. He was staring into the orange flames.

"How's that? I'm not that complicated."

"On the contrary, you're the most complex person I've ever met. I... I know you don't like us to come around your house, but I was just walking once, and I guess I wasn't paying attention. Well, I ended up on your block. I could her yelling and crying coming from what I figured out is your house. I know it's not my business, but I couldn't help but keep coming closer." I paused to look at him, and his eyes were wide, scared.

As I drew in a shaky breath, I continued.

"I saw your dad... Through the window... He was yelling at your little sister, and you went up to him and said something... I couldn't hear but... Well, I could never do that, you know? I've learned to look out for myself and just myself. I mean, there'll be a few exceptions along the way, like Gordie, but other than that I let people deal with their own problems. God knows I got mine..."

"What I guess I'm tryna say is... Why? Why'd you get yourself a beating when you didn't need one?"

He looked at his hands, studying them like he'd never seen them before.

"Because she didn't need one either. I can't stand seeing people in pain, especially people I care about." He looked at me with an unreadable look, but I could identify fear and pain in the depths of his icy eyes. And something else...

Honestly, he looked tortured. Like he was fighting with himself.

"I'm gonna hit the sack now... See you in the morning."

He leaned away with a sigh as he spoke. I couldn't help feeling like he wanted to tell me something.

"Ok. Good night."

"Night. Guys, go to sleep!"

* * *

 **HEYYYYYY WASSUP! IM FINALLY BACK IN THE GROOVE! YAYYYYYY!**

 **See y'all soon... *Le wink***

 **~ A.**


	17. Chapter 15(Sorta): Into The Future

_I found myself in a dark, cramped, stuffy apartment. I turned around to find that I wasn't alone._

 _"So this is where you live, huh?"_

 _"Yep, welcome to my humble abode!"_ _I called out in a slurred, overly upbeat voice._

 _'I'm drunk? No, it's not that...' I thought through the hazy blur of colors and shadows._

 _"Are you ok? You're acting... I don't know, sort of weird."_ _I stumbled suddenly and fell into a pair of strong, warm arms._

 _"There is definitely something wrong. Are you sick? Did you hit your head? Or are you just that high?" The questions went from concerned to angry, which inexplicably made ME angry._

 _"That's none of your business, besides, you're the one who left to become a big-shot lawyer."_ _I answered coldly, and attempted to cross my arms angrily and walk into the cluttered kitchen, but ended up tripping over my feet. I landed on the counter and slid to the floor, suddenly so very tired._

 _He walked towards me, crouched down, and reached for my face. I flinched slightly, remembering his cross tone of voice._

 _His hand withdrew slightly, then continued to lift my chin up so that I was forced to look into his icy blue eyes._

 _"Are you really scared that I'm going to hit you?" The hurt in his voice and eyes killed me. It ripped my insides apart when I remembered the promise he made when we were fifteen._

 _"I would never hit you, I promise."_

 _"I-no..." I struggled to form a better reply through the fog clouding my head. "You promised you wouldn't."_

 _"Well, at least you aren't completely in the sky. What have you been taking?" He shook his head smiling then returned to a serious expression._

 _"Um... LSD? Probably cocaine, heroin maybe... I don't really remember..." I wasn't trying to be funny, I honestly could not identify the different drugs I had been taking in the past few days. All I knew is that I took a lot._

 _His nose crinkled in disgust. "How could you turn into this? I thought that you despised hippies and junkies. At least that's what you always said."_

 _"Well, they aren't that bad. Just up in their own world. Up in MY own world... You wanna try some? I think I have some acid left over."_

 _He was about to say something when someone knocked on the door. It was a peculiar way of knocking, like a pattern almost._

* * *

 **Well. Hello, after like 5 years. Hehe. That one's my fault.**

 **Um so... This is gonna be the last chapter of _Stand With Me_ as far as I know. **

**I know, I'm giving up. Sorry.**

 **I first started writing this when my head wasn't in a very good place, and I don't think starting it again would be very beneficial to my mental health.**

 **BUT. I've been thinking of something else... _Another_ story. **

**I will be coming back to this and editing it, adding/removing things and whatnot. Just not anytime soon. Hehehe.**

 **Anyways, that's about it. Watch out for my new story that will be coming out, which will be a lot more developed and less of just something I spontaneuosly came up with.**

 **~**IMPORTANT-ISH**~**

 **My new story will be on Wattpad and FictionPress.**

 **IT IS NOT A FANFIC.**

 **K thx bye :)**

 **:)))**

 **~ A.**


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